Peter Claude Larson of Spearfish, S.D., formerly of Reva, S.D., passed away on April 18, 2025. He was born on August 15, 1935, in Reeder, N.D., to Arnold and Martha Larson and was the youngest of six children. Pete grew up on the family ranch in Perkins County, attending White Hill and Olson Schools before graduating high school in Reeder in 1953.
After earning a teaching certificate from Black Hills State University, Pete taught for a year at a country school near Ekalaka, MT. He then joined the U.S. Marines, serving in Okinawa, Japan, and later in Korea following the war’s end.
Returning home, Pete worked on the family ranch. He met and married Nubby Freitag on May 5, 1962, and they raised three children—Jeff, Mindy, and Will. Pete and Nubby purchased the home ranch, working tirelessly to support their family. Pete loved horses and trained many teams, one of which the family wagon-trained to Ekalaka to celebrate Montana’s Centennial.
In 2002, they retired to Spearfish, where he stayed busy. Pete participated in over 800 Honor Guard funerals for the VFW. He delivered Meals on Wheels, had daily coffee with friends, built a log cabin and conducted Thursday night “choir practice”. Pete’s open shop door meant popcorn, coffee, marking heights of grandkids, the sharpening of chainsaws, cribbage games and stories lots and lots of stories.
Pete is survived by his children: Jeff (Christina), Mindy (Tony), and Will (Danielle); grandchildren: Claire, Anna, Zach, Katelyn, Paige (Kolby), Kasey (Wyatt), Sam, and Billy; and great-grandchildren: Paisley, Huxton, and Tawny.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Nubby, and infant daughter Stacy.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 PM, Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. Burial with full military honors will take place at 2:00 PM, Friday at the Slim Buttes Lutheran Cemetery near Reva, SD.
